Partial electrical outage

Asked Dec 27, 2007, 10:08 AM
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4 Answers

I have a partial electrical outage in my home -- mainly my master bedroom. A few days before the electricity went out (overhead and plugs) there was a strong order like stagnet water or a fish pond. After the lights went out, the smell disappeared.

I believe what you smelled is askril. That is when something in the electrical system burns up.
You need to check the electrical circuit (s) for the bedroom to see where the problem is. A connection could have come loose and caused a over heat problem or a switching device or a outlet plug could also be at fault.
It is always better for a home owner to turn off the power before you go taking things apart to find the problem.

I am not familiar with that word. Askril. Are you sure of the spelling? I agree that something has come apart and I'd check the connections for hot and neutral starting at the panel and all along the circuits. I am assuming you have already comfirmed power is still coming from the panel and the breaker isn't tripped.

If the insulation that covers the actual copper or alum. Conductors melted then there is either a high voltage situation or a high current situation. My money is on a high current problem. This can be caused by something as simple as a light bulb fusing and causing a short any where on your circuit.

Start by finding the entire circuit in question. At you panel box, make sure all of the breakers are set to on. Then replace one bulb at a time to see if you get the circuit up and running.

If that still fails , get a volt/ohm meter and start up the circuit and physically check each junction box for burn marks, and 120 Volts AC. If the entire circuit is still dead and you haven't found any burn marks or short conditions, loose connections or melted wiring then I would drop back 10 and punt the problem over to an electrician.

Also, although some of the trouble shooting with power supplied, whenever possible, kill the breaker and avoid working on live lines.

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